Moschophoros (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: μοσχοφόρος "calf-bearer") is an ancient Greek statue of the Archaic period, also known in English as ''The Calf Bearer''. It was excavated in fragments in the

Perserschutt The Perserschutt, a German term meaning "Persian debris" or "Persian rubble", refers to the bulk of architectural and votive sculptures that were damaged by the invading Persian army of Xerxes I on the Acropolis of Athens in 480 BC, in the Destruc ...

in the

Acropolis of Athens The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. Th ...

in 1864. The statue, dated c. 560 BC and estimated to have originally measured 1.65 meters (5.4 ft) in height, is now in the

Acropolis Museum The Acropolis Museum ( el, Μουσείο Ακρόπολης, ''Mouseio Akropolis'') is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built to house every artifact found o ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Greece.

Condition

The condition of the Moschophoros is poor and broken in some areas. The legs are missing below the knees on both sides. The hands are broken off. The genitals and the left thigh have separated from the whole sculpture. The lower half of the face (the chin area) is chipped off. The foot with a plinth is connected to base. The calf is well preserved, while Moschophoros's eyes are absent. The rest of the sculpture is in a fine state.

History

The sculpture was found on the Athenian Acropolis in 1864. In 1887, the base was discovered. It is made of permeable limestone, and its plinth was attached to the right foot of the sculpture. The inscription on that plinth claims that this statue was dedicated by someone named Rhombos (possibly Kombos or Bombos; the beginning of the name is missing) to

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded ...

, the goddess of wisdom. This suggests that the sponsor was a very well-to-do-man and a prominent citizen of

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...

, who offered his own likeness to Athena. He has a calf on his shoulders which represents the sacrificial offering he is about to give to the goddess.

Form and relevance

The Moschophoros stands with his left foot a little forward, like other

kouroi kouros ( grc, κοῦρος, , plural kouroi) is the modern term given to free-standing Ancient Greek sculptures that depict nude male youths. They first appear in the Archaic period in Greece and are prominent in Attica and Boeotia, with a less ...

. He has a thick beard, a symbol of adulthood. He wears a thin cloak. The sculpture's nudity is the main aspect of the art as it adhered to the artistic conventions of the era. The cloak on the other hand, depicts him as a respectable and well-recognized citizen. The challenge of representing man and animal together is successfully accomplished by this Archaic sculpture. The calf's legs are held firmly, making a bold X-shaped composition. This interaction between the calf and the calf-bearer represents a strong, inseparable bond between the two. The man in the sculpture is smiling, in a feature referred to as the Archaic smile, which began in the 6th century BC.

Kriophoros In ancient Greek cult, kriophoros ( el, κριοφόρος) or criophorus, the "ram-bearer," is a figure that commemorates the solemn sacrifice of a ram. It becomes an epithet of Hermes: ''Hermes Kriophoros''. Myth At the Boeotian city of Tan ...

statues, of a man with a sheep on his shoulders in a similar manner, are more common.

Style

Moschophoros's hair is very curly, encircling his forehead. There are three plaits on each side falling over his chest. The hair at the top is tied with a narrow ribbon. He has a thick beard that curves around his shaved upper and lower lip. The eyes are large and were made out of colored stones. The stones are absent now but it gave a more lively appeal to the statue before. His mouth is very diligently carved and outlined. By looking at its form and style, this sculpture is typical in its composition of the early 6th century BC, around 570 BC.

Interpretation

The main idea of a connection between a man and an animal is strongly portrayed. The crossed legs of the calf with the arms of the calf-bearer creates unity between them. The forms are simple such as the round face, eyes and mouth are created with simple arcs. The beard represents an adult man. The body structure is well built depicting strength and power. His mouth and eyes are round in form giving the impression of a positive person, especially, as the man wears a smile on his face.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 6th-century BC Greek sculptures Art of ancient Attica Cattle in art Acropolis of Athens Archaeological discoveries in Greece Archaic Greek sculptures 1864 archaeological discoveries Sculptures of bovines